Shoe form



Nov. F, 1933. J DE w 1,933,664

SHOE FORM Filed Nov. 17, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 alnvfgig/ m Will am M 624m ,1/

Nov. 7, 1933. w J DE 1,933,664

SHOE FORM Filed Nov. 17, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inveniow: TZi'lh'amcZDeW' Z,

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NOV. 7, 1933. w J. DE w 1,933,664

SHOE FORM Filed Nov. 17, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 frwerli'o 7' Mllz'mrv K176117222 6y $04022, M: n 9/ Patented Nov. 7, 1 933 r SHOE FORM William J. De Witt, Auburn, N. Y., assignor to Shoe Form Co.,'Inc., Auburn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 1' 7, 1931 Ser .75. 8

1;; Claims. (01. v -123.4

This invention relates to an improvement in athe toe portion with h o e which Wi l shoe form and has for its primary object to provide a shoe form comprising a toe portion adapted to be inserted into the toe of a shoe and a plate attached to such toe portion and adapted to bear against the counter of the shoe heel and thus hold the toe portion in such position in the shoe toe that it will fill or plump out the material forming the toe.

Such a shoe form is preferably, though not necessarily, made of rigid transparent material such as celluloid, and the plate of the form preferably rests upon the inner sole of the shoe, thus avoiding any projection above the upper edge of the shoe at the heel.

Two embodiments of this invention are set forth in the following description and upon the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which,

Fig. l is a side elevation of a shoe in which is located a shoe form embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 1, parts thereof having been broken away;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of such shoe form;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5;

' Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 77 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan View similar to Fig. 6-

of a modification of the embodiment shown therein; Figs. 9 and 10 are bottom plan views of other embodiments of this invention;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along the line 1l11 in Fig. 9 and; Fig. 12 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the heel portion of the embodiment shown in Fig. 10.

The shoe forms selected for illustration are adapted to be inserted into a low shoe 10 having a 5 toe 11 and heel 1-2. It will be understood, however, that forms for other types of shoes may embody this invention and that I am not limited the employement of my invention to any particular type of shoe. i The form 15 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive includes a hollow toe portion 1 6, the walls 17 of which terminate at their lower edges in flanges l8 and 19. The side wall flanges are connected by means through which the walls may be ex pended or contracted to insure that contact of hold the toe material in the condition most pleasing to the eye. Any suitable means may be employed, as for example that shown in the drawings which comprises a brace bar v20 pivotallyso connected at one end by a rivet 21 to the flange 18 and connected at its'other end to a rivet 22 adapted to travelin an arcuate slot 23 in the flange 19. Obviously by swinging the crossbar on its pivot the walls will be expanded or contracted. (See 5 Fig. 3.) Bosses 24 are provided to hold the bar yieldably in any desired position.

The toe portion 16 is usually made in the form indicated in part by dotted lines in Fig. 2, but in order to avoid detracting in any way from the appearance of the shoe the part of the toe portion which would project above the shoe is cut away so that the portion takes the form indicated by full lines in Figs. 2 and 5. Obviously if the form were intended for use in a shoe having a difierent contour from the shoe 10, the toe portion of the form would be trimmed to conform with that shoe.

Secured .to the flanges 18 and 19 of the toe portion 16 near the rearward ends thereof is 30 a heel plate 25, the rearward end 26 of which is bent upwardly and as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, bears against the heel counter of the shoe. The plate .25 is preferably of celluloid or similar material, and in order to increase its 35 rigidity the side edges terminate in flanges 27. In the end 26 of the plate 25 there may be provided for a purposeto be described, an opening 28 preferably reinforced by an eyelet, ring or washer 29. r

The toe portion 16 of the form is inserted into the toe of the shoe, the crossbar 20 having been previously swung into the position in which the walls are contracted. The plate 25 is pushed down ontothe inner sole of the shoe, the end 26 bearing against the heel counter, to advance the toe portion into its final position. The crossbar 20 is .then shifted manually or by the use of a suitable instrument to expand the .walls 17 into contact with the walls of the .toe .to plump out the toe material. It will be obvious that the form will remain securely in position in the shoe as long as desired. When the form is to be removed the crossbar 20 is shifted into the wall-contract ing position, the plate is raised, and the form removed. Preferably, since the form is made to fit the shoe snugly, the plate is raised by a buttonhook or other'tool inserted into the opening 28 of the plate 25.

'Ifhe' embodiment disclosed in Figs. 5, 6 and "I diiiers from that previously described in the manner in which the plate is secured to the toe portion and in the means provided to facilitate the removal of the form. No detailed description therefore of the form will be given and the elements thereof will be designated by primes of the same reference characters as were applied to the corresponding elements in the first described embodiment. e

The primary object of his embodiment is to provide means for expanding or contracting-the rearward ends of the side walls 17 of the toe portion 16 when the form is being inserted into or withdrawn from the shoe. Qne such means here illustrated comprises pin and slot connections between the plate 25 and the flanges 18, 19' of the toe portion. Fixed in the flanges 18', 19 are pins 30 which pass through arcuate slots 31 in the plate 25'. Obviously the movement of the plate relative to the toe portion causes the pins to travel in the slots, so that when the plate is drawn away from the toe portion the walls 1'7 will be contracted, and similarly when the plate is advanced toward the toe portion the walls 17' will be expanded. It is desired that the walls 17 be normally in an intermediateposition relative to theplate 25, and one way of carrying this out is by the use of a spring wire 32 secured at its ends to the pins 39 and at its middle to a rivet or stud 33 carried. by the plate 25, coils 34 being provided to supplement.

thenatural tension of the wire 32. The wire 32 is here shown below the plate 25 but it will be understood that it may be above the plate and that other forms of spring means may, if desired, be substituted therefor. A ring 35 secured to the plate 25 facilitates the lifting of the plate 25 as the first step in extracting the form from the shoe.

For the purpose of facilitating the removal of the form from the shoe the heel plate may be made in two sections pivotally connected (see Fig. 8) or may be pivotally connected to the toe portion (see Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive).

The embodiment shown in Fig. 8 differs structurally from that shown in Figs. 5 and 6 only in the formation ofthe heel plate and the reference characters'applied to the corresponding portions will be repeated without further description. In place of the one piece heel plate 25' to which the ring 35 is secured is employed a heel plate 40 comprising a forward section land a rearward section 42 pivotally connected in any suitable manner as by a hinge 43. The spring wire 32 is secured to the rivet or stud 33 carried by the forward section 41 and functions as described above. V

Figs. 9 and 11 illustrate one embodiment of this invention in which the heel plate is pivotally connected to the toe portion 51. The portion 51 comprises ball flanges 52, 53 connected by an adjustably mounted brace bar 54, one end of which is pivotally connected to the flange 52 while the other end is attached to a rivet or stud 55 slidable in an arcuate slot 56. At the rear ends of the flanges 52, 53 are formed arcuate slots 58 which receive rivets or studs 59 connected by a bar 60. Obviously the application of forwardly exerted pressure upon the bar 60 causes the flanges to expand and the application of rearwardly exerted pressure causes the flanges to contract. Such pressures are applied by a spring wire 61 similar to the spring wire 32 being secured at its middle to a rivet or stud 62 carried by the heel plate 50. The ends 63 of the wire 61 are looped around the bar 60 and coils 64 are provided to hold the ends normally adjacent the ends of the bar.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 10 and 12 has many elements in common with the embodiment just described and such elements will be designated on the drawings by primes/of the reference numerals applied in Figs. 9 and 11 to the corresponding elements without any detailed description thereof. This embodiment differs from the previously described embodiment merely by the manner in which the heel plate 50 is attached to the bar 60'. Thus a tube surrounding the bar 60 is split longitudinally to form a slot '71 which receives the forward edge of the plate 50'. The edge is attached to the tube by the use of suitable adhesive as, for example, acetone when the plate and tube are of celluloid.

When shoe forms of the embodiments just described are employed the heel plate, in part as in Fig. 8 or as a unit as in Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive, is swung down into the heel of the shoe after the toe portion has been properly located. The contact of the rearward end of the heel plate with the heel counter acts to seat the toe portion securely in the shoe and to expand the rearward end of the toe portion. The movement of the unitary heel plate is clearly shown in Fig. 12 with respect to the Fig. 10 embodiment. When the form is to be withdrawn the heel plate is swung upwardly by reason of its pivotalattachment and the exertion of rearward pressure thereon first contracts the rearward end of the toe portion and then withdraws that portion from the shoe.

While various embodiments of this invention have been shown and described it will be understood that I am not limited thereto and that other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

l. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, and a plate secured at its forward end to the rearward ends of the toe portion flanges, the said rearward ends of the toe portion flanges being bodily expansible or contractible relative to the plate, and the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe.

2. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion and means for securing the forward end of said plate to the rearwardv ends of said flanges consisting of pins carried by said flanges and slots in said plate, which slots receive said pins and thereby permit said flanges to expand or contract relative to the plate, the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe.

3. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion, and pin and slot connections between the forward end of the plate and the rearward ends of the flanges, to permit said flanges to expand or contract relative to the plate, the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe.

4. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said. toe portion, and

pin and slot connections between the forward end of the plate and the rearward ends of the flanges, to permit said flanges to expand or contract relative to the plate, the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe, said slots being so formed that the flanges of the toe portion are expanded when the rearward end of the plate bears against the heel counter.

5. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion, and pin and slot connections between the forward end of the plate and the rearward ends of the flanges, to permit said flanges to expand or contract relative to the plate, the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe, said slots being so formed that the flanges of the toe portion are expanded when the rearward end of the plate bears against the heel counter, and contracted when the plate is raised from the shoe.

6. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion, and pin and slot connections between the forward end of the plate and the rearward ends of the flanges, to permit said flanges to expand or contract relative to the plate, the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe, said slots being arcuate so that the flanges of the toe portion are expanded when the rearward end of the plate bears against the heel counter.

'7. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion, and pin and slot connections between the forward end of the plate and the rearward ends of the flanges, to permit said flanges to expand- 8. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate Lll'l horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion, and means for securing the forward end of the plate to the rearward ends of the flanges, which means comprise pins, and arcuate slots which receive the pins and yieldable means normally holding said pins in a position intermediate the ends of the slots, the rearward end of the plate bearcing against the heel counter of the shoe.

9. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a hollow toe portion, the walls of which terminate in horizontal flanges, a plate extending rearwardly from said toe portion, and means for securing the forward end of the plate to the rearward ends of the flanges, which means comprise pins carried by said flanges, said plate being provided with arcuate slots which receive the pins and yieldable means carried by said plate and engaging said pins to hold them normally in a position intermediate the ends of the slots, the rearward end of the plate bearing against the heel counter of the shoe.

10. A shoe form as described in claim 9 in n which the heel plate comprises two pivotally connected sections.

11. A shoe form adapted to be inserted in a shoe and comprising a, hollow toe portion the ing rearwardly from said toe portion and means pivotally connecting said heel plate to said bar. 

